The Griffin & Howe All American rifle is an ultra modern high technology sporting rifle clothed in traditional classic walnut stock.
So confident are Griffin & Howe in this All American rifle that they guarantee it will deliver half minute of angle groups with match ammunition at one hundred yards.
Fast Facts
- Griffin & Howe was founded in 1923 located in a loft in New York City.
- The company became one of the United States paramount rifle and gun makers, and have remained so to the present day.
- One of the most modern classics made by Griffin & Howe is their All American rifle which incorporates twenty-first century technology in a classically styled sporting rifle.
Griffin & Howe have a long history as an American custom rifle and gun maker. The company has made rifles and guns for such famous Americans as writers Ernest Hemmingway and Robert C. Ruark, entertainers Bing Crosby, Clark Gable and Gary Cooper, the man who would be the 34th President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower, and famous gun-writer and advocate of the 270 Winchester Jack O’Connor.
Although Griffin & Howe’s early history was centered in New York they are nowadays located at Hudson Farm in Andover, New Jersey, less than a two hour drive away.
Griffin & Howe were at the cutting edge of sporting rifle development and were associated with Colonel Townsend Whelen: who was in charge of the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Townsend Whelen was a soldier, gun writer, and creator of the 35 Whelen cartridge, and the Whelen sling.
Griffin & Howe have continued as highly respected creators of custom rifles and guns to this present day and their All American rifle is a blending of twenty-first century technology with classic walnut stock and style.
Although at first glance the Griffin & Howe All American has the appearance of a beautiful classic rifle close examination reveals the technology it hides beneath its gorgeous appearance.
The barrel is, I think, the first thing that catches one’s attention. This barrel is a Proof Research full-profile, match-grade 416R stainless steel barrel which has been turned down to significantly reduce its weight.
The barrel is then wrapped in a high-strength aerospace-grade carbon fiber covering. This covering is the product of Proof Research composites division and is impregnated with their proprietary matrix resin.
This carbon fiber covering has the effect of stiffening the barrel and also conducts heat to keep the barrel cool. This provides for a stable barrel that retains its accuracy when subjected to repeated firing.
The barrel is fitted with a muzzle brake to mitigate recoil and make follow-up shots easier.
The not so obvious twenty-first century component of this rifle is the Mausingfield bolt-action.
The word “Mausingfield” sounded to me like a field where cats go to chase mice: but it is in fact a name that pays homage to the great bolt-action rifle designs of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: the Mauser, especially the famous Model of 1898, and the American Springfield of 1903 which incorporated design features of the Mauser with design improvements of its own.
The Mausingfield is a modern action by the American Rifle Company that blends the Mauser M1898 claw extractor with the inertial ejector of the Springfield M1903.
The name Mausingfield is created when we combine Mauser and Springfield to get “Mausingfield”.
But the technology in this action does not stop there, it incorporates a front locking system based on two toroidal lugs and matching lug recesses.
The idea behind the use of toroidal profiled lugs is to use their curved shape to essentially self-center and achieve full and even contact for both locking lugs.
To understand the basics of how this works imagine Homer Simpson’s favorite snack – a donut, which is toroidal in shape – and imagine it dropped into a curved bowl: no matter what angle the donut sits at it will always achieve even full contact with the curved bowl. This is the principle behind the toroidal shape of the locking lugs of the Mausingfield bolt action.
The video below by Ted Karagias, President of American Rifle Company, explains the principle.
The bolt of the Mausingfield action features a slot under the right side locking lug that runs in the anti-bind rail of the action body to ensure smooth function, and a slot in the left side lug for the ejector.
The bolt head/face of this action is removable to allow this action to work for switch-barrel rifles.
This twenty-first century combination of barrel and action is then fitted into a stock of American black walnut or Claro walnut from the Hinds walnut tree. These walnut stock blanks are quite fascinating pieces of unique natural artwork.
An ebony fore-end tip is fitted to the stock and once it is shaped it is checkered at 22 lines per inch (LPI).
The profile of this stock is of the classic Griffin & Howe design and includes a Monte Carlo comb to place the shooter’s head in the correct alignment with the telescopic sight.
The trigger of a rifle is a crucial component and the Griffin & Howe All American is fitted with a Huber Concepts two-stage. This unit has a melanite steel body and internally is equipped with anti-friction ball technology. It is made to be consistent and predictable.
The Griffin & Howe All American is a custom rifle, made to customer specifications, options available include a leather covered recoil pad or soft rubber one. For those chasing a high degree of classic style a skeleton butt is able to be ordered, or a steel one, or checkered horn plate.
The All American action is fitted with a hinged floorplate, and the rifle is equipped with a Javelin Pro Hunt Carbon Fiber Bipod with adaptor mount, and sling swivels.
This rifle is guaranteed to deliver half minute of angle groups at 100 yards when using match ammunition.
To find out about options and ordering email [email protected] or telephone 973-398-2670.
The Griffin & Howe All American is a wonderful continuation of the company’s long heritage of fine custom rifles, made using twenty-first century technology combined with classic traditional craftsmanship.
Picture Credits: Feature image at the head of this post courtesy Griffin & Howe, all others as individually credited.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
